The Kid Under The Hood
by RagingTanker090
Summary: When Felicity's crossbow-toting 16-year old cousin arrives in Starling City, Team Arrow is thrown further out of whack. WARNING: Contains spoilers for the Season 3 Mid-Season Finale and beyond.
1. A Knock On The Door

There was a small knock at the door. Felicity Smoke slowly rose from the computer in front of her and made her way to the door. She half expected Oliver to be behind that door. Oliver. He'd gone off to fight Raz in the mountains in order to protect his sister Thea. He'd been gone five days. Roy and John had already accepted that Oliver was dead, but not Felicity. She just couldn't accept that Oliver was dead, not with solid evidence. The man she loved just...couldn't die, he couldn't!

With a swift movement, Felicity opened the door to find not Oliver, but a face she'd long forgotten: Adam, her cousin. She hadn't seen him since going off to college. He was just seven years old then. Felicity used to babysit him, and God knows what a chore that was.

"Adam? It's been such a long time. What are you doing here?"

"We moved to Starling City last week. Mom tried to call, but she couldn't get a hold of you." Adam replied.

"Well, I'm, uh, very busy, like a lot. So, uh, come on in I guess."

She closed the door behind Adam and had him sit on the couch. "How long has it been since I last saw you? Five years?"

"Nine."

"Oh wow, time's crazy, huh?"

They talked for some time before Felicity got a call from John and had to leave. Curious about what Felicity did, Adam followed inconspicuously, sticking to the shadows. He had the hood of his blue sweatshirt up and over his head to help in concealment. He followed Felicity into the Arrow Cave, and she never even noticed. That was, until he marveled at Oliver's bow and accidentally knocked something over.

John noticed him first. "What the? How'd you get in here?"

Felicity came over. "Adam?!"

She turned to John and said, "This is my cousin Adam. Sneaky kid he is."

"I'll say."

"That's a, um, really cool bow..." Was all Adam could say.

"Mmhmm. I think you should leave." John said.

"Right..." Adam scrambled upstairs. He paused a moment poking his head over the railing. "Seriously, really high-tech. My crossbow's nothing compared to that."

"Go home already, Adam!" Felicity said.

"Yep, uh, sorry!" He pulled his blue hood up and promptly left.


	2. The Blue Arrow?

That night, I saw that bow in action. Kinda. Two hooded figures, one in a dark color that I assumed was green, the other in red, fought a crime or two in the city. I saw them because I enjoy the night. Often I sit on the rooftop of my apartment building, just casually watching the stars and the still-bustling city below.

These crime-fighters inspired me. When I lived for a year with my dad in the country, he would always take me hunting. We used crossbows, as they were steadier than a normal bow and more silent than a gun. I was taking an engineering class at the high school.

Using the memories of crossbow hunting and the skills I learned from the engineering class, I designed and built my own crime-fighting crossbow. It had a folding stock made of wireframe encased in wood. The body of the crossbow was a soft, polished kind of wood. The trigger and trigger guard, along with the internal mechanisms, came from an old Remington rifle. At the end of the body were the two "curves", or prods. These were made from a lightweight aluminum frame, with two bungee cords attached to the bolt, which ran the length of the body. When the bolt was pulled all the way back, a spring holding it in place, an arrow could be inserted. At the end of the body was a short barrel, a few inches long, to add velocity to the arrow as it traveled. When the trigger was pulled, the spring was released and the bolt mechanism came flying forward, pushing the arrow out at high speeds.

A few nights later, I carefully followed these hooded deliverers of justice, deciding to help them out if they needed it. It was a truck yard they went to. I set up on the top of a building nearby, remaining concealed via a low wall. This time the green figure didn't make much use of a bow, opting instead for a pistol. A battle erupted around the trucks, and the heroes were outnumbered 10 to 1. So I went to work. I pulled the bolt back, inserted an arrow, and aimed. I squeezed the trigger slightly, and the bolt jolted forward, forcing the arrow out at nearly 100mph. It sailed through the air and sliced into one of the bad guy's hip just as he turned to round the truck where the heroes were taking cover.

This went on for a while, until a few of the baddies jumped into a truck and started off. By now the heroes had noticed me, and I recognized the green figure as the guy Felicity had been with when I snuck into that place. John, I remembered his name being.

"Get down from there, kid! What the hell do you think you're doing?!" He yelled as the baddies drove off.

"I'm gonna follow it from the rooftops! Don't worry about me, get in that truck and chase 'em!" I called back, ignoring his other statement. Without waiting for a reply, I ran towards the edge of the building. It was a short, but deadly gap. I already had a running start and was able to make the jump with ease, finishing with a gymnast-like roll. Then I was off again. This time the two buildings were connected, by a narrow suspended hallway with a flat roof. I stopped for a moment to try and shoot an arrow at one of the truck's tires. I barely missed, and that stop made me unable to catch up with it after that. The truck was gone.

When I slid down the last ladder of the fire escape from the roof, John was waiting for me. "That was real, real stupid. You are one lucky kid." He paused for a moment. "And, uh, thanks for helping us back there. Felicity will be tracking the van through the city. Take this." He handed me a clip-on radio. "Head along the rooftops like you were doing, try and find them. We'll be close behind and below you."


End file.
